When selecting a work vehicle, there are typically many trade-offs to be considered. For instance, a full-size pickup truck has a larger bed than a mid-sized or compact pickup truck. On the other hand, a full-size pickup truck typically has, sometimes significantly, lower gas mileage than a smaller truck and is usually much easier to maneuver in traffic and park in close quarters.
Since the full capacity of a truck bed is not always required, smaller trucks are frequently selected. When a larger load must be carried, one must go to the inconvenience of borrowing a larger truck or take the risk of overloading the current truck. The sight of compact or mid-sized pickup trucks with sheets of plywood, lumber or other loads perilously extending beyond the confines of the bed is all too common on the highways.
Referring to FIG. 1, one attempt to address this problem involves the use of a frame 110 rotatably mounted adjacent to the tailgate 112 of a pickup truck 114. When a slightly larger bed length is desired, the tailgate 112 is lowered and the frame 110 is rotated onto the lowered tailgate 112 to act as a barrier to items in the bed. However, the bed extensibility of this approach is essentially limited to the height of the tailgate 112. Additionally, when the tailgate 112 is closed, the frame 110 obstructs the pickup truck bed (see frame 110 in broken lines).